Red light cameras in Springs coming soon

June 20, 2011|Arun Sivasankaranasivasankaran@tribune.com

Coral Springs is set to join the list of local bodies that have tried to make roads safer by installing red light cameras.

The city will soon launch its red light camera program. Those who are found guilty of a violation will end up $158 poorer. During an initial 30-day warning period, violators will only receive warning notices and won't be fined.

Although the original plan was to have the first camera installed at the Royal Palm-Coral Ridge intersection, the first two intersections to be monitored will be University Drive and Riverside Drive, and Sample Road and Riverside Drive. The decision was taken based on a recommendation by the police department that took into account the number of violations at the two intersections. There are plans for cameras at seven intersections within the city by the end of the year.

A motorist entering an intersection and crossing the stop line after the light has turned red will be considered an offender. The camera will capture two digital images and a video clip, which will be viewed by ACS State and Local Solutions Inc., the city's vendor and the program implementing agency, and a police officer who is trained in red light camera traffic enforcement. If a violation is deemed to have occurred, a violation notice will be mailed to the vehicle's registered owner.

The registered owner of the vehicle will have 30 days from the mail date to pay the fine or to file an affidavit denying the violation. After 30 days, the police will escalate the notice to a traffic citation and the penalty will increase to at least $263.

The city has, during the last few weeks, put up electronic signs informing people that the program is about to be launched. The timing of the implementation, however, has surprised a few in the community as some nearby municipalities have put their plans for red light cameras on hold.

"The atmosphere right now doesn't seem to be in favor of putting them up," Joe Morera, a Coral Springs resident and former chairman of the city's multicultural advisory committee, said. "The state legislature doesn't seem to be in favor of red light cameras and I won't be surprised if they decided to eliminate them altogether. I like the cameras from the safety standpoint, but I have a feeling that a lot of people who get tickets will be going to court."

The city will get a portion of the revenue generated from the tickets, but city officials maintain that was not behind the decision to introduce the program.

"This is to make roads in the city safer," Mayor Roy Gold said. "If we can reduce the number of people running red lights, I will consider the program a success."

"This is a safety driven issue," Gold continued. "People need to get used to not running red lights. What I would like to see is a conscious effort to standardize enforcement of the law in cities within the county at least."

"[The program] doesn't cost the city anything," Commissioner Larry Vignola said. "If no one runs a red light, there won't be any revenue from this. I hope the city doesn't make any money out of this; all we want is our roads to be safe. This will stop a few people from running red lights and also help us free police officers."

"Our goal from the beginning has been to reduce or eliminate intersection accidents," Commissioner Tom Power said. "Hopefully we will soon have a generation of drivers who don't run red lights. Cities who don't want the program anymore because they are not making money out of it implemented it for the wrong reason. Embracing technology for the purpose of public safety is a good thing."

According to study by the Federal Highway Administration, red light cameras have had a significant effect in reducing dangerous crashes, including serious right-angle collisions. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that half of the people killed in red-light running crashes are not the signal violators, but drivers and pedestrians hit by red-light runners.

For details and to view a sample warning notice, visit CoralSprings.org.